Exploring the Taman Negara

Location:
Malaysia

Jungle, trekking, cave

By Sarah Baxter

Bursting with excitement I arrived at Kuala Tahan, the base camp for the Taman Negara Park. At over 130 million years old the Taman Negara, Malay for "National Park," is one of the oldest rainforests in the world. It’s located in the middle of peninsular Malaysia and is filled with strange looking plants, weird bugs, and wildlife like tigers and elephants all living in the vast 4000 sq km government protected jungle.

In Kuala Tahan I joined a trek with 3 other travelers for a 3 day-2 night stay in the jungle and led by a native guide, the energetic 50-year-old Mr. Seulemon. We left early in the morning with our packs full of camping gear for a 2-hour boat ride upriver. The motor drowned out the sound of birds, but I could see brown monkeys scampering around the trees that lined the river. Displaced water skipped into the boat, as I sat sweating in my bright orange life jacket and intently gazing at the unassuming trees of the jungle I’d soon be entering.

It's hard not to feel overwhelmed when first arriving in the jungle. It’s the atmosphere - huge old trees towering overhead, chattering birds, creepy crawly bugs, and tremendous swampy heat. It’s like hiking in a sauna.

I was dripping with sweat as we hiked the 5 hours to the Gua Telinga cave where we would spend the first night. As we walked Mr. Suelemon, barely breaking a sweat, pointed out various mammoth trees and told us their Malay names, as well as giving details about various plants and their medicinal uses. The cave where we stayed for the night is huge, bigger than a football field and with incredibly high ceilings. In one corner hung a swarm of sleeping bats and on the cave floor large elephant footprints were hardened into the mud. Sitting in the immense cave next to a smoking fire, it was exhilarating to imagine the wild animals that lurked outside in the rainforest. That night I drifted off to sleep listening to the unusual and unfamiliar sounds of the jungle.

I awoke at dawn to a fresh fire, boiling water for coffee, a heap of smoky tasting "jungle toast," and the animated Mr. S who was vigorously cutting more firewood. Even with the coffee I still felt a million miles from home, sitting cross-legged on a cave floor in one of the oldest rainforests in the world – and I loved it!

We spent most of the day trekking through the jungle, with breaks to go swimming in an icy blue stream and to marvel over some bizarre prehistoric looking plant. By mid-afternoon we were again at the edge of the jungle, but this time at an Orang Asli village next to the river. Mr. Suelemon has visited this tribe on several different occasions, and introduced us to several men he knows in the village. I’ve never met anyone like the Orang Asli. They are indigenous and semi-nomadic people of Malay who have dark skin and dark curly hair. The Malaysian government considers the Orang Asli the guardians and keepers of the jungle and they are the only ones allowed to live permanently in the rainforest. At the village an Orang Asli villager gave us a demonstration on how to make fire by rubbing together sticks, plus how to shoot a poison dart from a blowpipe, which they still use for hunting. He was very proud of his traditions and happy to share his unique way of life with our little group.

Exhilarating and unusual, my jungle experience at the Taman Negara was undoubtedly the highlight of my trip to Malaysia.

Further Information

Other helpful information: Bring lots of bug spray. The insects are vicious.

Must see/do at this place: Trekking

You should avoid here: Avoid being a destructive influence to the jungle - bring out everything you brought in, no littering.